Continuing the burlesque, the New York Times this morning has an article blathering about the rise of bipartisan "centrism" in Congress and America that the author terms "neopopulism."
I continually speculate on who reads the NYT or listens to the Sunday morning news shows, e.g., Face the Nation. It could only be people inside the DC bubble and the various hangers on that support it, or the entities that rule it. No one who lives in the real world would find anything of import or interest.
Actually, it's what a friend of mine calls, "The NPR liberals"... people who proclaim their liberalism by routinely swallowing whatever NPR is saying. As if! (NPR is just behind NYT and WaPo in the eyes of such folk). Lies, and the liars who tell them.
The sadly ironic thing is that many of those fine folk routinely lambaste the Trumpians and their Faux News. They literally HATE those others for the very thing that they themselves do... accept as a priori truth anything that their favorite channel tells them.
I was stunned by Jill Stein's platform which is newly available. Her platform list covers almost all the things that have gone wrong in the past generation or more and she is willing to try to fix them. When you see it all together and each item is not an independent news story you begin to realize just what the oligarchs have done to us. The list includes work, health, education,economy, environment, military and everything else you can think of. The fact that some of these items are even up for discussion is a plus, and we know that she will use the office of the presidency to try to solve a problem, even if it is only to veto some awful thing the Senate or the House puts forth - or the Supreme court. The platform has three sections: People, Planet , Peace. Under those headings are a number of specific things like medicare for all (one of the items under People)Each heading has a number of specific things , the People one being the longest. Read the lists and think how wonderful it would be to have someone who would work for what they propose and also appoint people who will work for it, unlike the two current candidates who have shown by their past appointments that they don't give a damn about you or what would help this country. Maybe you'll decide to to take a chance on fixing some of it rather than voting for death and destruction.
Is that a promise that this is the last time You're going to do Your Trump Sales Pitch, Dennis? Or at least that version of it?
Why don't You tell us instead about all the Great things Trump did when he was President? About how he "Made America Great Again" from 20 Jan 17 to 20 Jan 21? That would be a lot more interesting and entertaining.
The best chance for American Voters to have any real impact at all on the system of Government and Governance that is taking this Nation down the path of from "Decline" to "Fall" is..........[drum roll].......You guessed it: NONE OF THESE CANDIDATES.
If every Citizen eligible to vote who is totally and completely fed up with the all the Bullshit and Worse that is offered as "Leadership" by America's elected politicians ~ starting with the White House ~ voted NOTC in November, my guess is that it would be much higher than Ross Perot's 18.2%.
And even if it was only 18.2%, that would send a very clear and powerful message to America's Ruling Political Class: That the so-called "lesser of two evils" is nothing but The Evil of Two Lessers; and is no longer an acceptable option.
Unfortunately, there are a considerable number of Citizens eligible to vote who are only totally and completely fed up with the Bullshit offered by the Leaders of either Team Blue currently led by Biden or Team Red commanded by Trump.
And who honestly and sincerely believe that changing the names, faces, and political affiliation of the people running this Government will change what this Government is, what it does, and how it does it. People like You, Dennis.
One would think that the last 44 years of this Nation's history ~ starting when Bozo and Bush I took over the show followed by Clinton down to today as Biden follows Trump ~ would disabuse these people of their fantasy. But obviously not.
How many people ELIGIBLE TO VOTE DID NOT VOTE FOR ANYBODY to be President in 2016? And what PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE voted for Clinton, Trump, or somebody else?
Here's are those numbers:
Not Voting 38.6%
Clinton 29.6 %
Trump 28.3 %
Other 3.5 %
And since You're so hung up on the Electoral College thing:
If "Not Voting" had been represented at the Electoral College in that election, it would have collected 471 Electoral votes to Clinton's 51 and Trump's 15. [ https://brilliantmaps.com/did-not-vote/ ] In other words, "Not Voting" won in a landslide.
In 2020, the PERCENTAGE OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS voting for the candidates were as follows:
Biden 34.2%
Not Voting 33.3 %
Trump 31.3%
Other 1.2%
In other words, if "Not Voting" won in a landslide in 2016, it was a bit closer in 2020: With 270 the magic number, "Not Voting" would have taken 278 Electoral College votes to Biden's 162 and Trump's 98. [ https://brilliantmaps.com/?s=Did+Not+Vote ]
[Note: The results of Election2020 demonstrate not merely incidentally, but very emphatically and categorically that ANY CLAIM BY ANYBODY OR ANY PARTY, PERSPECTIVE, OR IDEOLOGY ~ BIDEN'S AND HIS, TRUMP'S AND HIS, OR ANYBODY ELSE'S AND THEIRS ~ HAS ANY KIND OF A "MANDATE" FROM ANYBODY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY IS COMPLETE AND TOTAL BULLSHIT, no matter who is shoveling it.]
Dennis, You're the one who declared that this was going to be the last time You were going to do Your Trump thing.
Apparently not.
And i'm not particularly interested in convincing "ole dumbasses" ~ Your term, not mine ~ like You, Dennis. It's not Your world anymore, remember? And You have already "fucked it up enough," as Your Daughters might put it.
And most importantly: You won't be voting in America's Election2024 in November. So why should i or anybody else care what You think about the Election or the candidates, let alone who You won't be voting for?
So TRUMP ON!!! down there in Kiwi Land. Ole Dumbass. i'm sure it gives You plenty of reason to feel good about ~ and at the same time, sorry for ~ Yourself.
Permit me to share something i wrote back in July 2004 about the Burlesque Show about Nader “costing” Gore Election2000...:
CONTRA MICHAEL MOORE: Resurrecting The Biggest Lie of Election 2000
It’s no secret that Michael Moore is a Kerry Regime Insider Wannabe. So, it was no surprise when he turned the MoveOn.org June 28, 2004 live webcast about his new movie FAHRENHEIT 9/11 into a Kerry Love-Fest. But when he attacked Ralph Nader, he went a bridge too far.
In so doing, he resurrected once again THE BIGGEST LIE ABOUT ELECTION 2000: that Ralph Nader, the Green Party, and the people who voted for Nader cost Al Gore and the Democrats the election, and are thus directly responsible for all the evil unleashed by the Cheney White House on the planet and on this nation, in general, and on liberals, progressives, and the victims they champion, in particular.
As uncomfortable as I know it is for Michael and the rest of these people, let us consider one simple, incontestable FACT first. Who was it that said “facts are such unpleasant things”?
IF YOU TOOK EVERY VOTE THAT NADER GOT IN EITHER TENNESSEE (GORE’S HOME STATE) OR ARKANSAS (CLINTON’S HOME STATE), AND GAVE THEM TO GORE, GORE WOULD HAVE STILL LOST THEM BOTH.
THIS WOULD MAKE HIM THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN HISTORY TO LOSE THE STATE OF HIS OWN PARTY’S INCUMBENT PRESIDENT, AND ONLY THE SECOND CANDIDATE IN HISTORY (AFTER MCGOVERN IN 1972) TO LOSE HIS OWN STATE.
IF GORE HAD WON EITHER OF THOSE TWO STATES -- HIS OWN HOME STATE OR THE STATE OF HIS BOSS AND TITULAR HEAD OF HIS OWN PARTY -- GORE WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN FLORIDA.
To ignore this FACT and to instead focus blame for Gore’s loss on Nader and the people who voted for him in Florida is to deny an uncomfortable but deniable reality. However, if Michael and his gang want to focus on Florida, then consider another, final, simple, incontestable FACT.
The Gore challenge to the election results in Florida deserved -- and in fact looks like it was intended -- to fail. Instead of demanding a STATEWIDE recount, the Gore braintrust chose only to demand recounts in those areas they thought they would win. But even more important than that, the Gore folks apparently had neither the balls or brains to challenge the legality of the removal of more than 50,000 voters from the registered voters lists.
Then let’s consider another simple, incontestable fact.
Because liberals, progressives, and radicals did not have the balls to vote their conscience, but instead voted for what they thought was a sure-fire way to win, GORE COST NADER THE ELECTION.
Because these people voted for one of the biggest thugs, liars, hypocrites, and thieves in Washington DC, they turned their backs on the ONLY true liberal, progressive, and radical in the campaign…the ONLY candidate with a life history consistent with true alleged Democratic, liberal, and progressive values, principles, and ideals.
And, they got what they voted for. And what they deserved.
How is that?
My guess is that it was understood by all concerned that the Clinton/Gore wing of The Party had had its time in power (eight years to be exact), and that they had accomplished what they had been sent there to do: keep the Sanctions Going in Iraq; facilitate globalization (on whose watch did NAFTA, GATT, and the WTO come into being?); facilitate the corporatization of medical care in the U.S.; de-regulate the media and communications industry; start letting people learn more and more about the evils of fundamentalist, radical Muslim terrorism; continue the tradition of un-declared, un-challenged, un-controlled War (Yugoslavia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc etc etc); run a couple of 9/11 dress rehearsals (WTC bombing, Oklahoma City bombing); normalize post-Tiananmen Square relations with crypto-capitalistic Communist China; and piss off enough people with a President dumb enough to get caught getting a blowjob in the Oval Office from a woman young enough to be his daughter and then get caught lying about it. But how else could something like MoveOn.org be spawned?
And that it was thus now time for the other guys in The Party to have their time at the helm, and to continue The Long March. You know….. The 8-On-8-Off Deal: “you guys take the Executive Branch for eight years and get your fair share of the loot, and then we’ll take it for our eight and our fair share.”
Thus, while The Cheney Regime has accomplished just about everything that they were sent there to do (except perhaps to more totally and effectively rape, pillage, and plunder the U.S. Treasury), it’s unlikely that Kerry is anything more than a dutifully sacrificial Burning Bunny in the tradition of Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.
In any event, Michael Moore should stick to movie making, and leave the King-Making to people who have a lot more experience and expertise than he does in that realm.
No, Bill. Gore didn't cost Nader the election. At least not without a LOT of help. Like i said:
Those liberals, progressives, and "radicals" who did not have the balls to vote their conscience, but instead voted for what they thought was a sure-fire way to win, let GORE COST NADER THE ELECTION, but only with the massive help of those same liberals, progressives, and radicals.
Because these people voted for one of the biggest thugs, liars, hypocrites, and thieves in Washington DC, they turned their backs on the ONLY true liberal, progressive, and radical in the campaign…the ONLY candidate with a life history consistent with true alleged "Democratic," liberal, and progressive values, principles, and ideals.
And, they got what they voted for. And they got exactly what they deserved: 8 years of Cheney/Bush the Lesser.
Pentagon largesse for Ukraine: $13 billion for new direct support arms, ordnance and services; $13 billion to back fill stuff taken from US war stocks for Ukraine; $20 billion for direct support form US forces in Europe (ISR, services, supplies, repairs....); the rest through State for keeping lights on in Kiev government building.
The a good part of the $20 billion for EUCOM has likely been spent already. US is already at war!
Toma I am am old (90) and don't know how to do stuff like add an address to my comment. I first went to her web site which I agree is awful, so then I asked google to tell me how to contact her, I typed contact Jill stein and what came up was a connection to text her, I clicked on that and got her actual web site! at the top are listed choices like HOME, DONATE , PLATFORM etc I clicked on platform and lo and behold the whole thing came up looking just like the email she sent me. Click on "People" for example and all the things she wants to improve or work on come up. I do agree, her web site is a mess. I'm going to text her and tell her that. I hope you do too.
A question for today, 775 days before July 4, 2026 and the 250th birthday of The United States of America: Will this Nation survive to celebrate that birthday? And if it does, will the American Peoples be in any condition or mood to celebrate anything?
These eight "States" are the state of the United States of America today. It is:
l. a Bankrupt Debtor State
2. an Imperialist Warfare State
3. a Redistributionist Welfare State
4. a Secrecy/Surveillance/Security/Censorship/Propaganda/proto-Police State Panopticon State
5. an Autocratic/Oligarchic/Plutocratic/Patriarchal Deep State
6. a Failing or at best Flailing Nation State
7. an Overshoot State
And, perhaps most importantly,
8. a People and Nation no longer merely "divided," but fractured~ even to the point of disintegration~ in ways not seen in more than 164 years, since the eve of what may end up being merely the FIRST American Civil War.
These are the flashing warning signal beacons showing the direction in which America's collision course with reality is headed. And they give only passing reference to the impact that changing weather and climate patterns will have and are already having on this nation's infrastructure, economy, society, and security.
Those who would dismiss as implausible and impossible the demise of the United States in a little more than two years are invited to consider the year 1989, and how things were going back then at the Berlin Wall, around the Warsaw Bloc, and in the USSR itself. And then remember how things had changed there two-plus years later, starting with the fall of that Wall that year on November 9, and ultimately, the disintegration of the USSR and the demise of European Communism by the end of 1991.
In light of all this, the question isn't so much WILL the United States survive to celebrate #USA-CCL!!!, but CAN it? And again, if it does survive, will the American Peoples be in any mood or condition - or have any desire~ to celebrate anything?
Another way to frame the entire issue is:
Given America’s current [and long-established ] system of government and governance whereby Vested Special Interests can gain ready, easy, but expensive access to the legal power, the administrative authority, and, above all, the spending capacity and capability of the American government as governed by its elected politicians, entrenched civilian and military bureaucrats, and anointed political appointees; and,
Given what the United States has inflicted upon the rest of this Planet since 9/11 ~ if not Hiroshima and Nagasaki ~
Given that, the real question is: SHOULD the United States survive to celebrate #USACCL!!! ?
There's always Bobby Kennedy. I've agonized over his selection of Nicole Shanahan, but in the end, RFK, Jr. is the only candidate actually addressing all the issues that actual people care about.
He's better than Biden and Trump, for sure. But he's also strongly and uncritically pro-Israel, no matter how many Palestinians die, starve, and suffer.
It’s probably not possible to find a candidate who checks all the boxes. Kennedy’s shining quality is that he’s willing to change his mind when facts dictate it. That said, maybe Israel has a hold on him just as it seems to have with most US politicians. But I completely agree with you about Kennedy’s uncritical pro-Israeli position. Given everything else I know about him, it makes no sense.
That's true. Everyone is a mixed bag - and if he was competitive in my state I might vote for him. But living in WA, Biden is going to win the state no matter what. For me, it becomes an empty exercise. On, the other hand, if I lived in a swing state, I would likely participate if only to be a part of the drama.
Good point! I live in one of those swing states! Remember when Ralph Nader ran and people “traded” votes? I’m not sure how it worked anymore. Do you remember that?
I was just elected as a committee woman in my party, but I also intend to carry petitions for Kennedy when that process begins here. 😉
I remember how Nader and his supporters were attacked for being responsible for Bush's "victory", as if only candidates approved by the corporate parties could run; people willfully forgot that Gore was a boring candidate who couldn't even win his own state.
I think you can count on RFK being mercilessly attacked as "responsible" if Biden falls to Trump this year. That could extend to people who support him in the political process - watch out for yourself.
Very many people have tried but failed to change RFK Jr.'s mind. There's an interesting but sad video of him arguing / trying to shout over his host (I think it was Crystal Ball) in doubling down on his absolutely unconditional support for Israel. And if someone whom people (naively, I think) assume has anti-imperialist, pro-justice leanings so unwaveringly defends that which Israel has been doing and trying to do to the Palestinians not only in this particular instance of genocide, but throughout the entirety of the period from 1948 on, then one should really question what his values actually are. For me he's a non-starter based on this - and it is not a single-issue litmus test, but rather a serious doubt about what he would do if he somehow snuck in the back door. On the other hand, Jill Stein DOES check all of my boxes...and there are quite a number!
Mary Ann, it is indeed a tough call. My problem with RFK is his calling the Palestinians "arguably the most pampered people by international aid organizations in the history of the world."
Granted he said it late in 2023, and I recognize in the U.S. no politician with presidential ambitions could get by with anything less than proclaiming slavish lip service to Israel, but this wasn't even close.
Continuing the burlesque, the New York Times this morning has an article blathering about the rise of bipartisan "centrism" in Congress and America that the author terms "neopopulism."
Ah, the absurdity of it all.
I continually speculate on who reads the NYT or listens to the Sunday morning news shows, e.g., Face the Nation. It could only be people inside the DC bubble and the various hangers on that support it, or the entities that rule it. No one who lives in the real world would find anything of import or interest.
Actually, it's what a friend of mine calls, "The NPR liberals"... people who proclaim their liberalism by routinely swallowing whatever NPR is saying. As if! (NPR is just behind NYT and WaPo in the eyes of such folk). Lies, and the liars who tell them.
The sadly ironic thing is that many of those fine folk routinely lambaste the Trumpians and their Faux News. They literally HATE those others for the very thing that they themselves do... accept as a priori truth anything that their favorite channel tells them.
I was stunned by Jill Stein's platform which is newly available. Her platform list covers almost all the things that have gone wrong in the past generation or more and she is willing to try to fix them. When you see it all together and each item is not an independent news story you begin to realize just what the oligarchs have done to us. The list includes work, health, education,economy, environment, military and everything else you can think of. The fact that some of these items are even up for discussion is a plus, and we know that she will use the office of the presidency to try to solve a problem, even if it is only to veto some awful thing the Senate or the House puts forth - or the Supreme court. The platform has three sections: People, Planet , Peace. Under those headings are a number of specific things like medicare for all (one of the items under People)Each heading has a number of specific things , the People one being the longest. Read the lists and think how wonderful it would be to have someone who would work for what they propose and also appoint people who will work for it, unlike the two current candidates who have shown by their past appointments that they don't give a damn about you or what would help this country. Maybe you'll decide to to take a chance on fixing some of it rather than voting for death and destruction.
Please, make it so!
Don't volunteer to be hung by Your thumbs waiting for that to happen, Bill.
I'll never volunteer to be hung by my thumbs.
Is that a promise that this is the last time You're going to do Your Trump Sales Pitch, Dennis? Or at least that version of it?
Why don't You tell us instead about all the Great things Trump did when he was President? About how he "Made America Great Again" from 20 Jan 17 to 20 Jan 21? That would be a lot more interesting and entertaining.
The best chance for American Voters to have any real impact at all on the system of Government and Governance that is taking this Nation down the path of from "Decline" to "Fall" is..........[drum roll].......You guessed it: NONE OF THESE CANDIDATES.
If every Citizen eligible to vote who is totally and completely fed up with the all the Bullshit and Worse that is offered as "Leadership" by America's elected politicians ~ starting with the White House ~ voted NOTC in November, my guess is that it would be much higher than Ross Perot's 18.2%.
And even if it was only 18.2%, that would send a very clear and powerful message to America's Ruling Political Class: That the so-called "lesser of two evils" is nothing but The Evil of Two Lessers; and is no longer an acceptable option.
Unfortunately, there are a considerable number of Citizens eligible to vote who are only totally and completely fed up with the Bullshit offered by the Leaders of either Team Blue currently led by Biden or Team Red commanded by Trump.
And who honestly and sincerely believe that changing the names, faces, and political affiliation of the people running this Government will change what this Government is, what it does, and how it does it. People like You, Dennis.
One would think that the last 44 years of this Nation's history ~ starting when Bozo and Bush I took over the show followed by Clinton down to today as Biden follows Trump ~ would disabuse these people of their fantasy. But obviously not.
How many people ELIGIBLE TO VOTE DID NOT VOTE FOR ANYBODY to be President in 2016? And what PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE voted for Clinton, Trump, or somebody else?
Here's are those numbers:
Not Voting 38.6%
Clinton 29.6 %
Trump 28.3 %
Other 3.5 %
And since You're so hung up on the Electoral College thing:
If "Not Voting" had been represented at the Electoral College in that election, it would have collected 471 Electoral votes to Clinton's 51 and Trump's 15. [ https://brilliantmaps.com/did-not-vote/ ] In other words, "Not Voting" won in a landslide.
In 2020, the PERCENTAGE OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS voting for the candidates were as follows:
Biden 34.2%
Not Voting 33.3 %
Trump 31.3%
Other 1.2%
In other words, if "Not Voting" won in a landslide in 2016, it was a bit closer in 2020: With 270 the magic number, "Not Voting" would have taken 278 Electoral College votes to Biden's 162 and Trump's 98. [ https://brilliantmaps.com/?s=Did+Not+Vote ]
[Note: The results of Election2020 demonstrate not merely incidentally, but very emphatically and categorically that ANY CLAIM BY ANYBODY OR ANY PARTY, PERSPECTIVE, OR IDEOLOGY ~ BIDEN'S AND HIS, TRUMP'S AND HIS, OR ANYBODY ELSE'S AND THEIRS ~ HAS ANY KIND OF A "MANDATE" FROM ANYBODY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY IS COMPLETE AND TOTAL BULLSHIT, no matter who is shoveling it.]
Gee, more wisdom from HTWFAIP, eh? Thank You, Dennis. i'll put it at the top of my Reading List.
Dennis, You're the one who declared that this was going to be the last time You were going to do Your Trump thing.
Apparently not.
And i'm not particularly interested in convincing "ole dumbasses" ~ Your term, not mine ~ like You, Dennis. It's not Your world anymore, remember? And You have already "fucked it up enough," as Your Daughters might put it.
And most importantly: You won't be voting in America's Election2024 in November. So why should i or anybody else care what You think about the Election or the candidates, let alone who You won't be voting for?
So TRUMP ON!!! down there in Kiwi Land. Ole Dumbass. i'm sure it gives You plenty of reason to feel good about ~ and at the same time, sorry for ~ Yourself.
Do Yourself a favor, Dennis, and don't flatter Yourself that Your comments "get me seeing the red mist."
And trust me, i have no desire to see America "implode," whatever You may mean by that.
At this point, i'd like to see if:
1. There is an election in November, 2024; and, if there is and no matter who gets elected, i'd then like to see...
2. If the United States will survive to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, as noted earlier today here on BV, a mere 755 days from today.
Permit me to share something i wrote back in July 2004 about the Burlesque Show about Nader “costing” Gore Election2000...:
CONTRA MICHAEL MOORE: Resurrecting The Biggest Lie of Election 2000
It’s no secret that Michael Moore is a Kerry Regime Insider Wannabe. So, it was no surprise when he turned the MoveOn.org June 28, 2004 live webcast about his new movie FAHRENHEIT 9/11 into a Kerry Love-Fest. But when he attacked Ralph Nader, he went a bridge too far.
In so doing, he resurrected once again THE BIGGEST LIE ABOUT ELECTION 2000: that Ralph Nader, the Green Party, and the people who voted for Nader cost Al Gore and the Democrats the election, and are thus directly responsible for all the evil unleashed by the Cheney White House on the planet and on this nation, in general, and on liberals, progressives, and the victims they champion, in particular.
As uncomfortable as I know it is for Michael and the rest of these people, let us consider one simple, incontestable FACT first. Who was it that said “facts are such unpleasant things”?
IF YOU TOOK EVERY VOTE THAT NADER GOT IN EITHER TENNESSEE (GORE’S HOME STATE) OR ARKANSAS (CLINTON’S HOME STATE), AND GAVE THEM TO GORE, GORE WOULD HAVE STILL LOST THEM BOTH.
THIS WOULD MAKE HIM THE ONLY CANDIDATE IN HISTORY TO LOSE THE STATE OF HIS OWN PARTY’S INCUMBENT PRESIDENT, AND ONLY THE SECOND CANDIDATE IN HISTORY (AFTER MCGOVERN IN 1972) TO LOSE HIS OWN STATE.
IF GORE HAD WON EITHER OF THOSE TWO STATES -- HIS OWN HOME STATE OR THE STATE OF HIS BOSS AND TITULAR HEAD OF HIS OWN PARTY -- GORE WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENED IN FLORIDA.
To ignore this FACT and to instead focus blame for Gore’s loss on Nader and the people who voted for him in Florida is to deny an uncomfortable but deniable reality. However, if Michael and his gang want to focus on Florida, then consider another, final, simple, incontestable FACT.
The Gore challenge to the election results in Florida deserved -- and in fact looks like it was intended -- to fail. Instead of demanding a STATEWIDE recount, the Gore braintrust chose only to demand recounts in those areas they thought they would win. But even more important than that, the Gore folks apparently had neither the balls or brains to challenge the legality of the removal of more than 50,000 voters from the registered voters lists.
Then let’s consider another simple, incontestable fact.
Because liberals, progressives, and radicals did not have the balls to vote their conscience, but instead voted for what they thought was a sure-fire way to win, GORE COST NADER THE ELECTION.
Because these people voted for one of the biggest thugs, liars, hypocrites, and thieves in Washington DC, they turned their backs on the ONLY true liberal, progressive, and radical in the campaign…the ONLY candidate with a life history consistent with true alleged Democratic, liberal, and progressive values, principles, and ideals.
And, they got what they voted for. And what they deserved.
How is that?
My guess is that it was understood by all concerned that the Clinton/Gore wing of The Party had had its time in power (eight years to be exact), and that they had accomplished what they had been sent there to do: keep the Sanctions Going in Iraq; facilitate globalization (on whose watch did NAFTA, GATT, and the WTO come into being?); facilitate the corporatization of medical care in the U.S.; de-regulate the media and communications industry; start letting people learn more and more about the evils of fundamentalist, radical Muslim terrorism; continue the tradition of un-declared, un-challenged, un-controlled War (Yugoslavia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc etc etc); run a couple of 9/11 dress rehearsals (WTC bombing, Oklahoma City bombing); normalize post-Tiananmen Square relations with crypto-capitalistic Communist China; and piss off enough people with a President dumb enough to get caught getting a blowjob in the Oval Office from a woman young enough to be his daughter and then get caught lying about it. But how else could something like MoveOn.org be spawned?
And that it was thus now time for the other guys in The Party to have their time at the helm, and to continue The Long March. You know….. The 8-On-8-Off Deal: “you guys take the Executive Branch for eight years and get your fair share of the loot, and then we’ll take it for our eight and our fair share.”
Thus, while The Cheney Regime has accomplished just about everything that they were sent there to do (except perhaps to more totally and effectively rape, pillage, and plunder the U.S. Treasury), it’s unlikely that Kerry is anything more than a dutifully sacrificial Burning Bunny in the tradition of Bob Dole and Walter Mondale.
In any event, Michael Moore should stick to movie making, and leave the King-Making to people who have a lot more experience and expertise than he does in that realm.
Gore cost Nader the election.
No, Bill. Gore didn't cost Nader the election. At least not without a LOT of help. Like i said:
Those liberals, progressives, and "radicals" who did not have the balls to vote their conscience, but instead voted for what they thought was a sure-fire way to win, let GORE COST NADER THE ELECTION, but only with the massive help of those same liberals, progressives, and radicals.
Because these people voted for one of the biggest thugs, liars, hypocrites, and thieves in Washington DC, they turned their backs on the ONLY true liberal, progressive, and radical in the campaign…the ONLY candidate with a life history consistent with true alleged "Democratic," liberal, and progressive values, principles, and ideals.
And, they got what they voted for. And they got exactly what they deserved: 8 years of Cheney/Bush the Lesser.
It took a while to find but!
Pentagon largesse for Ukraine: $13 billion for new direct support arms, ordnance and services; $13 billion to back fill stuff taken from US war stocks for Ukraine; $20 billion for direct support form US forces in Europe (ISR, services, supplies, repairs....); the rest through State for keeping lights on in Kiev government building.
The a good part of the $20 billion for EUCOM has likely been spent already. US is already at war!
It's basically a handout to the MICC and a bandaid for Ukraine.
Toma I am am old (90) and don't know how to do stuff like add an address to my comment. I first went to her web site which I agree is awful, so then I asked google to tell me how to contact her, I typed contact Jill stein and what came up was a connection to text her, I clicked on that and got her actual web site! at the top are listed choices like HOME, DONATE , PLATFORM etc I clicked on platform and lo and behold the whole thing came up looking just like the email she sent me. Click on "People" for example and all the things she wants to improve or work on come up. I do agree, her web site is a mess. I'm going to text her and tell her that. I hope you do too.
USACCL???
A question for today, 775 days before July 4, 2026 and the 250th birthday of The United States of America: Will this Nation survive to celebrate that birthday? And if it does, will the American Peoples be in any condition or mood to celebrate anything?
These eight "States" are the state of the United States of America today. It is:
l. a Bankrupt Debtor State
2. an Imperialist Warfare State
3. a Redistributionist Welfare State
4. a Secrecy/Surveillance/Security/Censorship/Propaganda/proto-Police State Panopticon State
5. an Autocratic/Oligarchic/Plutocratic/Patriarchal Deep State
6. a Failing or at best Flailing Nation State
7. an Overshoot State
And, perhaps most importantly,
8. a People and Nation no longer merely "divided," but fractured~ even to the point of disintegration~ in ways not seen in more than 164 years, since the eve of what may end up being merely the FIRST American Civil War.
These are the flashing warning signal beacons showing the direction in which America's collision course with reality is headed. And they give only passing reference to the impact that changing weather and climate patterns will have and are already having on this nation's infrastructure, economy, society, and security.
Those who would dismiss as implausible and impossible the demise of the United States in a little more than two years are invited to consider the year 1989, and how things were going back then at the Berlin Wall, around the Warsaw Bloc, and in the USSR itself. And then remember how things had changed there two-plus years later, starting with the fall of that Wall that year on November 9, and ultimately, the disintegration of the USSR and the demise of European Communism by the end of 1991.
In light of all this, the question isn't so much WILL the United States survive to celebrate #USA-CCL!!!, but CAN it? And again, if it does survive, will the American Peoples be in any mood or condition - or have any desire~ to celebrate anything?
Another way to frame the entire issue is:
Given America’s current [and long-established ] system of government and governance whereby Vested Special Interests can gain ready, easy, but expensive access to the legal power, the administrative authority, and, above all, the spending capacity and capability of the American government as governed by its elected politicians, entrenched civilian and military bureaucrats, and anointed political appointees; and,
Given what the United States has inflicted upon the rest of this Planet since 9/11 ~ if not Hiroshima and Nagasaki ~
Given that, the real question is: SHOULD the United States survive to celebrate #USACCL!!! ?
There's always Bobby Kennedy. I've agonized over his selection of Nicole Shanahan, but in the end, RFK, Jr. is the only candidate actually addressing all the issues that actual people care about.
He's better than Biden and Trump, for sure. But he's also strongly and uncritically pro-Israel, no matter how many Palestinians die, starve, and suffer.
It’s probably not possible to find a candidate who checks all the boxes. Kennedy’s shining quality is that he’s willing to change his mind when facts dictate it. That said, maybe Israel has a hold on him just as it seems to have with most US politicians. But I completely agree with you about Kennedy’s uncritical pro-Israeli position. Given everything else I know about him, it makes no sense.
That's true. Everyone is a mixed bag - and if he was competitive in my state I might vote for him. But living in WA, Biden is going to win the state no matter what. For me, it becomes an empty exercise. On, the other hand, if I lived in a swing state, I would likely participate if only to be a part of the drama.
Good point! I live in one of those swing states! Remember when Ralph Nader ran and people “traded” votes? I’m not sure how it worked anymore. Do you remember that?
I was just elected as a committee woman in my party, but I also intend to carry petitions for Kennedy when that process begins here. 😉
I remember how Nader and his supporters were attacked for being responsible for Bush's "victory", as if only candidates approved by the corporate parties could run; people willfully forgot that Gore was a boring candidate who couldn't even win his own state.
I think you can count on RFK being mercilessly attacked as "responsible" if Biden falls to Trump this year. That could extend to people who support him in the political process - watch out for yourself.
Realistically, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have an Electorate College landslide’s this year.
Very many people have tried but failed to change RFK Jr.'s mind. There's an interesting but sad video of him arguing / trying to shout over his host (I think it was Crystal Ball) in doubling down on his absolutely unconditional support for Israel. And if someone whom people (naively, I think) assume has anti-imperialist, pro-justice leanings so unwaveringly defends that which Israel has been doing and trying to do to the Palestinians not only in this particular instance of genocide, but throughout the entirety of the period from 1948 on, then one should really question what his values actually are. For me he's a non-starter based on this - and it is not a single-issue litmus test, but rather a serious doubt about what he would do if he somehow snuck in the back door. On the other hand, Jill Stein DOES check all of my boxes...and there are quite a number!
Mary Ann, it is indeed a tough call. My problem with RFK is his calling the Palestinians "arguably the most pampered people by international aid organizations in the history of the world."
Granted he said it late in 2023, and I recognize in the U.S. no politician with presidential ambitions could get by with anything less than proclaiming slavish lip service to Israel, but this wasn't even close.